Mail-bag crane.



. No. 780,821. PATENTED JAN. 24, 1905.

' Y F. S.SEE.

MAIL BAG CRANE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 13, 1904.

an uentoz Q Wmom' r r I -A e 1 Guam,

UNITED STATES Patented. January 24, 1905.

FILER SACKETT SEE, OF GEM, KANSAS. I

MAIL-BAG CRANE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 780,821, dated January 24, 1905.

Application filed September 13, 1904. Serial No. 244,273.

T0 on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FILER SAOKET'I SEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gem, in the county of Thomas and State of Kansas, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Mail-Bag Cranes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mailbag cranes or holders such as disclosed, for instance. in United States Patent No. 213,750, granted to H. M. Hall April 1, 1879.

The object of the invention is to improve and simplify the construction of devices of the character specified.

With the foregoing and other minor objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination, with a crane or support,of a plate pivoted thereon, said plate having improved means for limiting'its swinging movement and for holding a mail-bag thereon with sufficient firmness to prevent it from becoming displaced by the force of the wind and to permit it to be readily removed by a passing train.

The invention also resides in the particular combination and arrangement of parts and in the precise details of construction hereinafter described and claimed as a practical embodiment of the invention.

, In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a mail-bag crane provided with the improvements of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the improved bagholding device, showing in dotted lines the various positions to which it may be swung. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bag-holding device.

Like referencenumerals indicate corresponding parts in the different views.

The reference-numeral 1 indicates a support upon which is mountedan upright 2. Pivoted upon the upright 2 is a pair of arms 3 4,

pivot-point with a transverse slot 8.

a plate 7, which is formed on one side of its The plate 7, upon the opposite side of its pivotpoint, is provided with an arm 8, which is pointed, as shownat 10. In order to decrease the expense attending the manufacture of the improvements of the present invention, the slot 8' is formed, preferably, with an open end, as shown, and the plate 7 and arm 8 are formed integral with each other. Mounted upon the plate 7 is a spring-arm 11, which extends parallel with the pointed arm 8. The end 12 of the spring-arm 11 preferably extends beyond the pointed end of the arm 8, so as to form a finger-piece suitable for use in moving the spring-arm away from the pointed arm to permit the insertion of the handle of a mailbag between said arms. The spring-arm 11 is formed intermediate its ends with a U-shaped bend 13, which when the mail-bag (indicated by dotted. lines in Fig. 1) is in position serves efie'ctually to prevent the handle of said mailbag from losing its engagement with the holding device formed by the plate 7 and arms 8 and 11 when the force of the wind is exerted upon said bag, although it will be understood that the spring-arm 11 will permit the withdrawal. of the mail-bag when it is grasped by the gripping device of a passing train. The spring-arm 11 is preferably .held upon the plate 7 by means of the pivot-pin 1 1, which holds said plate upon one or the other of the arms 4. and 3. For this .reason while as above described it is possible to grasp the finger-piece 12 and separate the spring-arm 11 from the pointed arm 8 to permit the insertion of the mail-bag handle it is also possible to swing the spring-arm 11 in a horizontal direction upon the pivot-pin 1 1 until it is out of parallel relation with the pointed arm 8, after which the mail-bag is suspended from said pointed arm 8 and thespringarm 11 is swung back into-its normal parallel relation with said arm 8.

A pin or projection, such as 15, extends through the slot 8' in the plate 7. The pin g 15 serves to limit the extent to which the plate 7 and arms 8 and '11 can be swung in either direction, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. By constructing the holding device in the manner described so that the plate 7 can be swung horizontally in either direction the catching device of a passing train is pre vented from striking the upright 2, and as soon as the catching device engages the mailbag the plate 7 will swing so that the arms 8 and 11 will lie in parallel relation with the railway-track, thus permitting the mail-bag to be drawn easily from beneath the spring 11. Furthermore, the plate 7 and arms 8 and 11 may be swung away from the railroad-track whenplaeing the bag in position thereon, so

that the mail-carrier will not be in danger of being struck by a passing train during such operation, and after the bag is in position the plate 7 may be swung in the opposite direction, so as to dispose the mail-bag in the path of the catching device of a train.

It will be understood that one of the holding devices comprising the plate 7 and arms 8 and 11 is pivotally mounted upon each of the arms 3 4:, as shown in the drawings.

Minor changes in the precise embodiment of invention illustrated and described may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of the invention or'sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In a mail-bag holder, the combination of a support, a plate pivoted thereon, an arm on the plate, a spring mounted upon the plate and extending parallel with the arm, and a pinand-slot connection between the plate and the support for limiting the pivotal movement of the plate.

2. In a mail-bag holder, the combination of a support, a plate pivoted thereon, said plate having a slot, an arm on the plate, a spring mounted upon the plate and extending parallel with the arm, and a pin extending through the slot into the support.

3. In a mail-bag holder, the combination of a support having a pivoted arm, a plate pivoted upon said arm, said plate having a slot on one side of its pivot-point and an arm upon the opposite side thereof, a pin extending through the slot into the pivoted arm, and a spring-arm pivotally mounted upon the plate and extending normally in parallel relation with the arm of said plate.

4. In amail-bag holder, the combination of a support having an arm pivoted thereon and movable in a vertical direction, a plate pivoted on said arm and movable in a horizontal direction, said plate having a slot on one side of its pivot-point and an integral arm on the opposite side thereof, a pin extendingthrough the slot into the pivoted arm, and a spring mounted upon the plate and extendingparallel with the integral arm, said spring having a U- shaped bend adjacent to the end thereof.

5. In a mail-bag holder, the combination with an upright having a plurality of pivoted arms, and a slotted link connecting said arms,

of a plate pivoted upon each arm, each of said plates having a slot on one side of its pivotpoint and a pointed arm on the other side thereof, a pin extending through the slot ol. each plate into the pivoted arm, and a springarm mounted upon each plate and extending parallel with the pointed arm thereof, each 0| said spring-arms extending beyond the end of the adjacent pointed arm to form a fingerpiece, and having a U-shaped bend adjacent to the end of the pointed arm.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Fl LER. SAC K lCT'l SEE. \Vitnesses:

D. R. I\'IULF()RJ), A. (I. \Vooncoeu. 

